ESL FACEIT Group has officially announced that the Intel Extreme Masters series will no longer be held in Katowice. Once known as the “World Championship” and home to three iconic CS:GO Majors, the legendary event is now set to relocate to its third home, Kraków, following its stints in Hanover and Katowice.
The first edition of IEM Kraków, the spiritual successor to the iconic series, will run from January 27 to February 8, 2026. The playoffs are scheduled for the final three days, with Tauron Arena set to become the new home of the tournament. The prize pool will total $1.2 million.
To mark the transition, ESL also paid tribute to IEM Katowice, honoring its legacy as one of the most iconic events in Counter-Strike history:
“For almost two decades, Intel Extreme Masters has built a heritage full of emotional and defining moments in esports history. From the early days in Hannover to the rise of new legends in Katowice, every stop along the way has left its mark on our legacy.
Today, as we begin a new chapter of this story, we look forward to continuing it with the world’s best gamers and esports fans, as they add new pages to it in Kraków, on a bigger scale than ever before”.
Michal Blicharz, VP Product Development at ESL FACEIT Group
Over the years, IEM Katowice hosted tournaments across a range of titles, from Dota 2 and StarCraft to Crossfire, Fortnite, PUBG: Battlegrounds, and even VR games. But its heart and soul was always Counter-Strike, the main attraction that delivered countless unforgettable matches and dramatic storylines.
Katowice joined the Intel Extreme Masters circuit in Season VII, back in 2013. The inaugural event, notable for its modest $7,000 prize pool, was won by the now-defunct ESC Gaming.
From that point on, IEM Katowice became an annual tradition. In 2014, 2015, and 2019, the tournament took on even greater significance as it served as a Valve Major Championship, the most prestigious title in modern Counter-Strike. Those editions crowned Virtus.pro, Fnatic, and Astralis as champions, respectively.
Looking back at the historical viewership of the IEM Katowice CS series, peak audiences remained below 500,000 live viewers through 2018. That changed dramatically in 2019, when the tournament held Major status, as its final between Astralis and ENCE drew over 1.2 million peak concurrent viewers, setting a record that stood for years. It was finally broken in 2025, when Team Vitality faced Team Spirit in a grand final watched by more than 1.29 million live viewers.
Katowice has given us over a decade of unforgettable esports memories, iconic plays, roaring crowds, and finals that defined eras. As the curtain falls on this legendary chapter, we honor a city that became synonymous with greatness in competitive gaming. Now, all eyes turn to Krakow, where a new story begins and the next generation of moments awaits to be written.
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